Walking into Big Sleep Books at 239 N. Euclid is like entering a time warp, so asking proprietor Ed King what affect Amazon has had on his sales is essentially a non-starter. Big Sleep doesn't maintain much of a webpage, and what they have is rarely updated. There is no evidence of a computer system that would tell Ed, or his semi-retired partner Helen Simpson, how many books by the popular French author Martin Walker they have in stock. It's what's missing from the way a "wired" bookstore does business that makes Big Sleep so quirky & charming.
We got the Amazon question out of the way right off the bat. Ed's opinion was unexpected: "Amazon may have changed the game…have you heard they're going to deliver books the same day?…but I admire the guy (Jeff Bezos) for creating Amazon and think his success is so American." Ed doesn't sense that his bookstore has been affected by the behemoth company because Big Sleep specializes in one genre, mysteries. And his store has a cult following among doctors, lawyers, and businessmen who travel to far-off places (Beijing, Hong Kong, Europe) several times a month. Word-of-mouth brings others to Big Sleep Books who have heard that Ed can zero
right in on recommendations for books that take place in most
countries around the world.
Ed also thinks his customers love visiting the CWE – if they don't already live here (many do) – because it's the coolest neighborhood in St. Louis. Some drop by every week to pick up a new read. He loves talking to the travelers and hearing what mysteries are on book racks in the Hong Kong airport, for instance.
In Ed's words, "travel-heavy guys" love Mark Pryor's The Bookseller (it's on my nightstand too), books by James Lee Burke, and Daniel Silva's The English Girl.
Count the Central West End as one of only a handful of places across the country where there is still a mystery bookstore in operation. As I was leaving Ed said: "We limp along here and make a little money (though he has another job too), but this bookstore is my passion, and I'm here to stay."
Saturday October 5 mystery writer Robert J. Randisi will be signing copies of You Make Me Feel So Dead the latest in his Session Man Mystery Series. Stop by to meet the author and have a glass of champagne between 1 & 3.
Big Sleep Books, 239 N. Euclid, (314) 361-6100.